His Complete Control

I was reading some Psalms this evening before bed and my eye was caught in Psalm 33:10-18.

The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works. The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness.

The frustration of my plans is one of the most valuable graces of God on my life. It is humbling when things don't go like I plan them... and He fully intends them to be so. I need that. I need His constant reminder of His complete control over everything. While I am responsible to take action as He leads, there is no strength apart from Him. There is no victory without Christ. It is on this hope for His lovingkindness that I fix my eyes as I enter this new year. I have made several "resolutions" (many of them are not so much resolutions as they are areas that I want to make progress in). I believe these things are God's will; however, I am fully aware that they may not happen as I think they will. This will be His grace in the form of frustration of my plans. This is His goodness upon my life. It is His perfect plan to keep me dependent on Him. In this, I rejoice greatly and look forward to living moment by moment for His glory in 2011.